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Cha Dim Sum

15May 2012

It was the Silver Fox’s birthday yesterday – we’d already had a fantastically cheesy night out with mates in the Big Beer Company on Friday, so we were craving something light like dim sum and sushi. After finding out Cha Dim Sum in Strassen does both, we headed off there.

The restaurant is actually one of three eateries that share a site under the ‘Zheng‘ umbrella; Le Zai (located in a large, whitewashed cottage) and Ginko Sushi (located underneath Cha Dim Sum). Cha Dim Sum is in an ultramodern box-and-glass structure that can be spotted from route d’Arlon by its large red lanterns hung from trees. The terrace, outside the front door, it beautifully landscaped with water features and shrubbery throughout, but I imagine that its peaceful vibe would be overrun by the traffic noise from the busy road that runs beside it.

Coming in we were immediately welcomed, brought to our table and our order taken. Their sushi chef has the day off Mondays, so the Silver Fox settled for pho and I ordered the dim sum. Unfortunately the service was sporadic from then on; we had to order our drinks several times as they had forgotten. However, it was surprisingly busy for a Monday night and they may have been taken by surprise.

The decor is very minimalist, with glossy white floors, walls and furniture, and the floor-to-ceiling windows add to the lovely lightness and brightness throughout. The only nod to its Asian menu are the retro Chinese posters on the walls.

Our meals arrived promptly – to start we were both given a complimentary, darkly-marbeled egg boiled in tea, which was very enjoyable. My selection of dim sum was savoury and light, each one with a subtle but lingering finish. The Silver Fox’s pho was sadly not as successful. The broth was under seasoned and he ended up adding copious sriracha to liven it up. The lamb, vegetables and noodles were better, however the basil was the bog-standard kind instead of Thai.

Our bill came with two complimentary mandarins, which we thought was a nice touch. The total cost was reasonable, so we felt what we had selected was good value, but other dishes on the menu were more expensive so it does depend on what you order.